1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to removable storage devices that are mountable to the rear of a motor vehicle. More particularly, the invention relates to such a device that is attachable to an exteriorally mounted spare wheel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Oftentimes the need arises in vehicles such as cars, vans, four-wheel-drive vehicles and RV's for additional storage space beyond the space that is available in vehicle trunks, or behind the passenger seats in vehicles that don't have trunks. The trend towards downsizing of certain vans and like vehicles has made storage space needs more pronounced in such vehicles. Some prior art approaches to the problem involve alteration of trunk space such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,069,345. In other cases, portable storage trunks have been devised for attachment at the rear of a vehicle. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,884,528 a box-like trunk with retractable wheeled legs is mountable to a trailer hitch at the rear of the van. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,693 a portable carrier is attached to the rear wall and bumper of a car. Such approaches may alleviate the storage problem, however, they can be unduly complex, relatively expensive, and require means to avoid obscuring the rear license plate and rearward facing signal and brake lights.
The need for increased storage space has led to the development of a variety of cargo carriers that can be mounted to the roof of a vehicle. Such carriers can be relatively expensive. Unfortunately, particularly with tall vehicles such as RV's and vans, they can be impractical, inconvenient and unsafe with respect to their loading and unloading. In addition, rooftop mounted carriers give a vehicle an unfavorable aerodynamic profile affecting fuel economy and vehicle stability.
In a further attempt to increase the availability of interior space in a vehicle it has been a practice to mount a vehicle spare tire to the exterior of the vehicle rear wall.